Also: why eReaders are on the decline; another look at the “mobile first” development philosophy.
Twitter loses ability to properly display Instagram photos [THE NEW YORK TIMES]
“We’ve decided that right now, what makes sense, is to direct our users to the Instagram Web site,” Mr. Systrom said, noting that Instagram images will soon no longer be visible on Twitter. “Obviously things change as a company evolves.”
Mr. Systrom did not say when images will cesase to show up on the site.
Instagram users will still be able to generate a tweet on Twitter when they post a photo. But when someone clicks on the Instagram link in those tweets, they will be taken out of the Twitter site or app and directed to Instagram’s site to view it.
Google’s explainer-in-chief can’t explain Apple [THE WALL STREET JOURNAL]
As growth slows in its advertising business, Google has pushed further into hardware for its popular Android mobile operating system. Android represented 75% of smartphone shipments in the third quarter, according to IDC. Google’s acquisition of hardware giant Motorola Mobility, which it bought for $12.5 billion in May, put the Mountain View, Calif., company at odds with its erstwhile partner Apple. The iPhone maker has pursued numerous lawsuits against hardware makers who use Android, claiming they rip off its own designs.
iTunes gets an upgrade without missing a beat [ALL THINGS D]
Overall, however, I found the new iTunes a pleasure to use. The venerable program is now brighter and more colorful, with clever and pleasing new capabilities and faster search. There is tighter integration between the library of media that resides on your computer and media stored in Apple’s online iCloud service. Streaming from the cloud has been expanded. The store has also been made cleaner, simpler and easier to use.
Rethinking mobile first [AVC]
But just because something is hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do it. I am convinced the next set of large and valuable consumer facing services will be built with mobile as the primary user interface. You can see it in the success of Uber and Etsy this holiday season. That’s where you users are most of the time. And if you don’t design your products and services for what is rapidly becoming the dominant UI, you will not maximize the success of your business in the long run.
Another reason for IDC’s raised tablet forecast comes at eReaders’ expense. Front-lit eReaders from Amazon and B&N have captured the interest of “a subset of consumers who prefer an eReader,” says IDC, but the analysts believe that the majority of buyers will go for multi-use tablets instead. IDC has dropped its eReader forecast down to 19.9 million units for 2012, which is lower than the 27.7 million units shipped in 2011.
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